Horario... 2!

So I think it was last week that I wrote my first post concerning horario, or schedule.  I've been meaning to flesh it out a little bit and so I guess today's the day.  Here is what I had so far...

Week #

1- Get to know my host family, the people, and the area, building rapport the whole time.

2- Cultural proofs and language practice, networking and rapport building.

3- Language practice, networking and rapport building, slowly begin interviews.

4- Language practice, networking, rapport, interviews, and transcribing.

5- Language practice, networking, rapport, interviews, and transcribing.

6- Language practice, group retreat (tentative), transcribing, and planning for final product.

7- Language practice, networking, rapport, interviews, transcribing, and planning.

8- Language practice, networking, rapport, interviews, transcribing, and planning.

9- Language practice, networking, rapport, interviews, transcribing, planning, and writing.

10- Language practice, rapport, interviews, transcribing, writing, and translation.

11- Language practice, rapport, transcribing, writing, translation, and thank you's.

12- Language practice, rapport, writing, translation, goodbyes and thank you's.

(13)- Language practice, writing, translation, see Mexico City

First off, let me explain a little bit about each of the activities that I have planned and why they are important.

Getting to know my host family, the people, and area - This is possibly the most important thing that I will do while on my trip.  All of my research, as well as my level of enjoyment in the experience, will hinge entirely on how well I understand the culture and the people and how well I get along with my host family.  That is why this will be done first, and why for every subsequent week I will be continuing to build rapport.

Building rapport - How can I expect to make friends, much less get any good information, if I don't build a relationship of trust with everyone that I can.  I should always be meeting new people, new informants or possible interviewees, and so I will consistently be working on building rapport.

Language practice - This was the primary reason why I originally wanted to go on a field study.  I have since grown to love my project greatly, but even so my ability to successfully complete my project is contingent upon my ability to communicate and understand the Irapuatenses.  This also ties into everything I am doing in my Cultural Proofs class.


Networking - Preach My Gospel says "Nothing happens in missionary work until you find somebody to teach.."  This is also true with field studies; until I find people to work with I will not be able to get any good data complete, as such I will be consistently seeking to find.


Interviews - Now, I do want to make sure that I spend enough time in the field to solidify my language skills and to build good relationships with those with whom I will be interviewing.  However, I believe that the most time consuming activity will be transcribing these interviews.  Because of this, when I do start to interview people I will want to get as many accomplished as soon as I can so that I can get to work on transcribing these interviews.  If I were to make any adjustment to my previous schedule it would be, not to start interviewing sooner, but to try to complete the bulk of my interviews before my mid-semester retreat.


Planning - This process of planning the final work will take place gradually throughout the entire program.


Transcribing - This should be the most time consuming of my activities, but fortunately it will also be very beneficial to my language acquisition.  This is the last step that is absolutely essential to get finished while in the field.  More on the practicalities of transcribing later.


Translating - After the paper is written in Spanish I will be translating it into English.  This section could move into later August, after returning from Mexico, though it will definitely be started and completed as much as possible while in the field.


Thank yous - I will always be trying to show gratitude and reciprocity, but most especially during my final week or so in the field.

Teaching and Transcribing

I discovered an amazing source today about the use of transcribing techniques to teach English to non-native speakers.  The article, entitled "Learning from the Transcripts of an Oral Communication Task" by T. Lynch,  talked about the practicality and effectiveness of using transcribing activities in classrooms.  The reason I am dedicating a whole post to this article is because of how it answers so many questions I have recently asked (and should have asked) about my project.

The article analyzes a study completed concerning the effectiveness of using recorded oral practice in classrooms and having the students later transcribe the recorded conversations.  This is exciting for me because the study showed that having students transcribe their own conversations greatly increased the attention that they gave to the language and how it works.  In other words, transcribing is a wonderfully effective strategy for language acquisition.

This is splendid news!  That means that the thing that I was dreading as taking up the most time (transcribing) will actually help me to achieve the thing that I wanted most out of my trip to Mexico (that is, bettering my Spanish skills).  Not only that, but the two methods that were tested gave me some great ideas about how I can be more accurate, and get the most language learning, out of my transcribing time.

The study was conducted to measure (in part) the difference in effectiveness between two methods of transcribing.  For both of the methods the students will complete a first-time transcript of the oral practice, but for the first method the students will come back to their transcript and edit it along with their peers, paying special attention to words and sections that were problematic during the first attempt.  This methods is intended to greatly increase the attention that the students will give to the language and require them to look more closely at words at familiar to them.  The second methods requires more teacher involvement, meaning that the teachers would provide their version of the transcripts for the students to learn from.

The study showed that the first, peer-review method, provided more long-term learning for the students.  Which is great, because it gave me the great idea to find a friend that I can have help work with me through the tricky sections of the audio recordings.  This article has taught me things that will help me to not only improve my Spanish, but the methods therein will provide assistance during my transcribing periods, granting relief during some of the most challenging portions of my project.

Las Cosas Demas

It's hard for me to believe that in just over a month I will be living in rural Mexico. Wow. So for this journal entry I just want to ponder a little bit about the things that I still need to do before I leave on my trip.

First off I need to focus on my research.  There are a few things that I need to get done before I go.  I need to talk to Fernando Gomez at the Mexican Mormon History Museum to get a better idea of how the church first got to Central Mexico, and then to the city of Irapuato.  I also have been talking with my mentor, Mark, about taking a trip up to Salt Lake to look into the official LDS Church archives to get some names and dates of the original members of the church in Irapuato and the time of their conversion.

I also need to work with Mark and with whoever my new contract mentor will be for the cultural proofs class.  I need to discuss with them more about the actual course work that I will be doing in the field.  I also need to set a firmer reading agenda for the classes.  Right now I have three books that I think will work for my Academic Internship class reading, one is about Church History in Mexico, another is Octavio Paz's "Labyrinth of Solitude" about what it means to be Mexican, and a third is about translation between Spanish and English. I will need to verify these texts with Mark, and find probably 1 or 2 more books in order to fill the classes page requirement.

I will also need to prepare for the international travel part of the trip.  This will include completing the Kennedy Center Proposal for my prep course, as well as doing the routine pre-trip preparation such as doctor's visits and shopping for supplies.  I will need to be sure that I am prepared for daily life in the field, for all things necessary for completing my project, and for any medical emergencies or preparation/prevention strategies and materials that I may need.

Overall, it should be a great trip!

Benjamin

Field Studies y Agradecimiento

I found out recently that the Field Studies program will be shutting down later this year, in fact, I am going to be part of the last group that gets to experience the miracle that we call a Field Study.  It's hard for me to describe my feelings when it comes to this one; it's an interesting mezcla of potent sadness and extreme gratitude.  But I want to enfocarme on the positive and all of the wonderful things that I have learned so far and that I look forward to learn because of this great experience.

So far in the prep-course I have learned so many things about research, ethics, and preparing to get the most out of a foreign experience.  I am so grateful for the teachers (Ashley and Malcolm are amazing!) and for the Field Facilitators who have provided me with an idea of what I'm getting into in Mexico; after all, "where there is no vision, the people perish..." (Proverbs 29:18). From the head teachers I have learned aspects of culture assimilation and of ethical research.  From Natalie, my Field Facilitator, I have learned about Mexican culture and of research methods that will be invaluable to me while in the field.

For me, the Field Studies program was perfect; I wanted an opportunity to really get to know the people and take part in their culture.  I wanted to be able to talk with them, improve my Spanish, make friends and get to know and love a people.  I wanted autonomy in my research, and encouragement to become a scholar rather than a student, to push forward pro-actively in my career and stretch myself to accomplish something challenging and worth while.  I wanted the Field Studies Program.

I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have had to be a Field Studies student, an opportunity of a life time that not many students are able to receive; a program that makes a scholar out of a student by placing him or her into the world and telling them not just to learn, but to work and to achieve.

Benjamin

Transcription and Translation

I have been trying to discover some Spanish music that I like, and luckily I have found some to help me get in the mood-- artists like Gaby Moreno and Reik.  I'm still searching and finding new things, but listening to Spanish music has got me thinking recently about a few of the most challenging aspects that will come with my project-- transcribing and translation.

As I think about what lies ahead, those are the two things that scare me most about my project.  I mean, I believe that I have the gumption and the moxie to get out and start talking with people and improve my speaking skills, but what if I can't understand the interviews on the audio recordings? What if I don't know any of the words that are used in the interviews? How am I going to even hope to translate these stories into English? And what about translating my own words into Spanish?

 I will, of course, need some supplies such as a great dictionary (both an English/Spanish dictionary, as well as just an amazing Spanish dictionary), I will need some of the best audio recording supplies, something that picks up great sound, is portable, and has an easily manageable playback capability. But besides supplies, I will need a definite skill set to take with me to the field, for without that experience I will come to a complete standstill.

I have therefore determined that I need to be doing a few activities that will help me practice my transcribing and translation.  I have a book about Spanish translation that I will be reading, but I want to get some actual practice in.  I'm sure there are many ways to do this, and I am open to suggestions, but I think I have had one great idea... with a little help from Gaby and Reik, I have all the material I need!

Listening closely to the songs that I have recently discovered, and trying to transcribe "la letra" [the lyrics] will be a great way to help me practice, and give me some practical ideas and tips that can only come from experience.  I'm sure it will be hard to understand all of the lyrics over the music, but that's why I'm practicing right?  Then I will try to create my own rough translation of the lyrics.

The best part about this, is it means listening to more music that I like... :)

Benjamin

Horario- a rough sketch of schedule

¿Listos?

Who's ready for an adventure?  I'm about to embark on a journey through the "desconocido" --that is, the wild expanse of the unknown?  What shall I do on this adventure? What shall I accomplish on my quest?  Let's make a map, find the X that marks the spot, and discover the lost treasure shall we?

Okay, 3 months in Mexico, let's break it down.
Month 1- build rapport, get to know the people and the area, determine potential interviewees
Month 2- try to do the majority of the interviews, transcribe and translate, begin work on planning the paper
Month 3- continue work on translation, finish up the interviews, compile and write the history

May 1st - July 30th: 12 weeks total

Week
1- get to know my host family, the people, and the area, building rapport the whole time.
2- cultural proofs and language practice, networking and rapport building.
3- language practice, networking and rapport building, slowly begin interviews.
4- language practice, networking, rapport, interviews, and transcribing.
5- language practice, networking, rapport, interviews, and transcribing.
6- language practice, group retreat (tentative), transcribing, and planning for final product.
7- language practice, networking, rapport, interviews, transcribing, and planning.
8- language practice, networking, rapport, interviews, transcribing, and planning.
9- language practice, networking, rapport, interviews, transcribing, planning, and writing.
10- language practice, rapport, interviews, transcribing, writing, and translation.
11- language practice, rapport, transcribing, writing, translation, and thank you's.
12- language practice, rapport, writing, translation, goodbyes and thank you's.
(13)- language practice, writing, translation, see Mexico City

Of course, all this is tentative, but it's good to have a general idea of where I'll be going, I mean, I want to spend as little time lost in "el desconocido" as possible. Por esa razón, I will continue to try to plan my horario effectively, and map out "the uknown."

'Benjamín

The Impression I have Inherited

I thought that the discussion that we had in class on Friday was very interesting and covered many important points concerning the viewpoint with which those in Mexico might view me.  I had failed to realize before that even though I have never been to Irapuato, or even Mexico, before, I carry with me a certain impression that I have inherited as part of who I am.

As an American I will be viewed in whatever light the people in Irapuato already have established in their minds regarding Americans.  I also come as a college student and a BYU student which is particularly significant in the minds of the members that I will be spending much of my time with.  In addition, those who have gone on this field study to Mexico before me will have made an impression of field studies students upon the locals there which will affect the way I am perceived as well.

It is interesting to think that before the people and members of the Church in Irapuato even meet me, they will have an idea (whether correct or not is yet to be determined) of who I am.  I am grateful, however, that I will be able to spend some time making my own impressions.  Obviously there are some existing ideas that are true and good and that I will want to strengthen, but I also may be working against some misconstrued ideas and expectations.

Once again I am grateful for the fact that my project will be about, and help, the people that I will be focusing my work on, and taking the most time from.  I hope that the reciprocity of my project, along with friendship building tactics such as showing genuine interest and being kind and funny, will be able to build some strong bridges with the people in Irapuato.  And though I cannot make their choices for them, it is my hope that they will use those bridges to overcome any incorrect and inherited impressions that may keep us from sharing a wonderful experience together.

My Best,
Benjamin

Sources

I have been having a really hard time finding sources lately.  I thought that I would be able to find a lot through the church archives, but it turns out that the archives are not accessible online, so I will need to go to Salt Lake City in order to complete my research on that end.  From my searches through BYU's library website, and on the world wide web itself I haven't been able to find anything very pertinent.  Another possible source has been Irapuato's newspaper, El Sol de Irapuato, which has some articles online, but I don't think they have much of their older stuff and I don't really know how to search in Spanish very well, for instance, I probably still wouldn't have any idea which key words to search for, even if I had the vocabulary.

What I really need is an expert.  I am going to go later this week, Thursday, and talk with Fernando Gomez, the curator for the Mormon Mexico History Museum here in Provo.  He has spent most of his life collecting information about the history of the LDS church in Mexico, so I hope that not only will he have some pertinent information for me, but that he will be able to point me in the right direction for the rest of my research.

Rapport Repor...

The other day when I was speaking with Mark he advised me to make sure that I have a good handle on the language before I go into any interviews.  This will certainly help my interviewees to feel more open and will help me to conduct the interview better so that I can ask for the important information without using circumlocution (asking something in other words sometimes, and in this case, because of a limited vocabulary).

But one of the greatest benefits that this will give me is a greater opportunity to build rapport.  During the first 3 weeks or so of my experience I may just want to be talking to people, getting to know the language better, and getting involved in the culture.  That is one reason why I am glad I am taking a cultural proofs class, which will require me to attend these cultural events and get involved with the people in Mexico.  I'll probably just spend my first while in Mexico working on that class.

The nice part about this though is that this cultural immersion will actually be helping me to complete my project.  It gives me a chance to not only build my Spanish skills, but to get to know the people better, to search out my potential interviewees and build rapport with them.  That, in my humble opinion, is going to be one of the best parts of my Mexico experience- the relationships that I will make with the people :)

Benjamin

The Little Big Things

As time goes on this semester the realization that I am actually going to be living in Mexico for 3 months is sinking in more and more.  It is rather daunting.  I remember when January of 2008 rolled around and I realized that by the end of that year I would be serving a full-time mission for the Lord.  There was never any question about whether or not I should do it, it was just the weight of that realization settling in, reminding me that this was something that was going to be different, hard, and most of all-- very real.

Strangely it's not the really big things that have been occupying my mind, but the little things.  For some reason the strangest things keep entering into my head, like what am I going to eat every day? and what clothes should I bring with me? and how what do I do when I blank on how to conjugate a verb and no words are coming out of my mouth.

But, I guess that it's the little things, the things that happen every day, that are really big.  They are important because they happen every day, and I guess that's why I worry about them.  And hopefully I won't let those little things turn into big worries.

Benjamin